15 questions to ask an offshore staffing partner before you sign
2 min read · Updated October 2, 2026
Sales calls tend to cover what a provider does well. These questions cover what matters when things go wrong: people leave, quality slips, or you want to move on. Ask every shortlisted partner the same questions and compare the answers in writing.
People and recruiting
- How do you find and screen candidates, and will we interview the shortlist?
- Will the people work only on our account, or are they shared with other clients?
- What happens when someone resigns? How long does a replacement take, and who pays for it?
- How do you cover leave, sickness and public holidays in India?
Management and quality
- Who manages the team day to day, and can we meet them before we sign?
- How is quality measured, how often, and will we see the scores?
- What reports will we receive, and how often will we review performance together?
Security and data
- Will the team work inside our systems, or yours? Who can access our data?
- Will you sign our NDA and data processing agreement, and work to our security policies?
- Which certifications do you hold, if any, and will you complete our security questionnaire?
Commercials and exit
- What exactly does the monthly price include, and what costs extra?
- What is the minimum team size, contract term and notice period?
- Can we start with a small pilot, and what happens at the end of it?
- If we leave, what happens to the people, the playbooks and our data?
- Who owns the work the team produces?
What good answers sound like
Good partners answer in specifics: names, steps, timelines, and documents they can show you. Be wary of answers like "it depends" with no follow-up, reluctance to let you meet the account manager, or a price with no breakdown. And ask for everything that matters in the contract, not only in the proposal.